Midlands ballpark is all torn up. What’s replacing Blowfish playing field
When the Blowfish take the field later this spring, they will be doing it on a new field.
The local ball club will still be playing at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. But the natural grass surface is being replaced with AstroTurf for the 2026 season.
The Blowfish and the stadium’s owner, the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission, in January announced a deal with the AstroTurf Corporation to “install a new, cutting-edge sports turf field” that will “bring an elite playing surface to the Midlands,” according to a news release.
Change is underway at the stadium on ballpark road, where the diamond has been dug up to make way for the new turf.
The synthetic turf should be in place by March 1, well in time for the Blowfish’s home opener May 29 against the Macon Bacon. This will be the team’s 12th year playing on Ball Park Road in Lexington, and their 21st since they began play in the Midlands at Columbia’s Capital City Stadium.
The upgraded facilities will not only host Blowfish games but also “accommodate collegiate and high school championships, tournaments, baseball camps, and other community events,” the Recreation and Aging Commission said.
“This investment underscores our commitment to providing top-tier facilities for our community and visiting teams,” Commission Executive Director Randy Gibson said in the release.
The advantages of AstroTurf are expanded usage of the facility and fewer weather-related cancellations, according to the release.
“AstroTurf ensures our athletes play on a top-tier, reliable surface night in and night out,” Blowfish co-owner Bill Shanahan said in making the announcement. “This new AstroTurf field provides a professional-grade experience for our summer collegiate players, significantly enhancing the quality of play and solidifying the stadium as a premier destination for baseball in the Coastal Plain League and beyond.”
Made from plastic fibers with a cushioned infill, the artificial turf was once the popular choice for professional sports fields in the 1970s and 1980s, with 40% of major league baseball parks once utilizing AstroTurf, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. Today, five out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball have artificial playing surfaces, and AstroTurf is still the “official synthetic turf” of MLB.
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